Welsh Government announces plans for museum of North Wales

A new museum of North Wales is among the plans set out in the newly elected Welsh Government’s policy programme.

The agenda outlines the Labour government’s intention to “enable our tourism, sports and arts industries to thrive”.

In addition to the development of a North Wales museum, the government says it will support an application to make the slate landscape of north-west Wales a Unesco World Heritage Site.

It also reiterates its commitment to “invest in our theatres and museums”, including moving forward with existing plans to establish a national football museum in Wrexham and a national gallery of contemporary art.

As part of the government’s plans to “celebrate diversity and move to eliminate inequality in all of its forms”, the programme commits to ensuring “the history and culture of our Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities are properly represented by investing further in our cultural sector and museum network”.

The government says it will place a priority on place-making and “support Wales’ long tradition of volunteering, local charities, faith groups and community organisations, and ensure that communities can thrive as centres of social exchange, leisure, sport and culture”.

The government says it will proceed with plans to introduce a “world-leading curriculum for Wales”, which will enable every school to design its own curriculum in collaboration with community partners - another policy that could have significant implications for museums.  

First minister Mark Drakeford said: “Our diverse history and culture draws many into Wales and we are determined to do all we can to help our tourism, sports and arts industries recover from the experience of the pandemic. Our programme outlines how we will make our local communities more rewarding and vibrant places to live and work in, whilst ensuring we also play our part on the global stage.”